free101girl

Wish I had better things to say about the Eden. It's fine, but not a 5-star hotel in my opinion. More like a 4-star.

I am SPG Gold and ALSO have a "Preferred Business" account. At check-in they didn't have my SPG # on the reservation, which was odd since I booked through SPG.com. I told them I was Gold but didn't have the number with me. At that point I was told we were upgraded to a Deluxe Room from Superior.

However, there was a problem with the rate. Apparently the promo web page I used defaults to single occupancy and I hadn't noticed this. They said this happens all the time. I checked my confirmation and sure enough, I had booked a King room, but with single occupancy. I was informed that since there were two of us, I would be upcharged EUR80 per night plus tax. Ugh. This made my "deal" (see earlier post) not such a great deal. Net cost with tax and breakfast was EUR470 per night.

When I went by the front desk to check on something later, I was informed that they had looked me up in the system and I was NOT Gold, but "Corporate." The implication was that I got an upgrade I didn't deserve. Um, no. I am indeed Gold. Fortunately they let it drop. I really wasn't in the mood for a fight -- and they would have gotten one at that point!

Our Deluxe room was pleasant, nothing special. Nice linens. Small, as is typical in Europe. I would hate to see a Superior room -- they must be tiny. Nice big bathroom, Penhaligon toiletries.

The main thing you have to know about the Eden is that all of their dining is wildly overpriced. Continental breakfast is EUR30.80 per person. Buffet breakfast is EUR49.50 per person. It was included in our rate, thank goodness. The buffet is quite good but nothing worth that kind of money -- it's not like they're serving you crab claws or anything.

Since the restaurant (La Terrazza) is a Michelin 1-star, they have an inflated idea of what they should charge, IMO. We ate dinner there one night. We both ordered the tasting menu at EUR160 per person with the wine flights, and were sadly underwhelmed.

(I have to say, we ate SO much better at a little place in Florence -- Osteria Cinghiale Bianco, for those who are interested -- for a total of EUR116 with a fabulous bottle of wine. And I had an amazing dish of fresh pasta covered in shaved white truffles there! We also really enjoyed the Grand Hotel in Florence, another SPG property, where they upgraded us to a Junior Suite -- for EUR175 less per night.)

Needless to say, room service at the Eden is even more outrageously priced. In short, eat elsewhere.

The terrace bar charges EUR14 or so for most drinks. However, we soon discovered such pricing isn't THAT far out of whack in Italy, sadly. And the bar does have a stellar view of Rome. They also give you lovely complimentary snacks with your drinks.